Marvel Hires Screenwriters to Develop new Superhero Films…

…With more than 5,000 crime fighters and villains in its library, Marvel Entertainment is assembling a group of screenwriters who will pen scripts for various properties Marvel wants to develop, Variety reported….

…Marvel will invite up to five writers each year to work on specific projects, a source familiar with the deal told the trade paper. Those could include staffers behind Marvel’s comic books….

As Variety reports, “gathering of scribes will help Marvel come up with creative ways to launch its lesser-known properties, such as Black Panther, Cable, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Nighthawk and Vision.”

Some of these films have been rumored for quite a while — whispers of a Ray Park-starring “Iron Fist” date back to the early 2000s. Others, such as “Cable” and “Vision,” are rather obscure properties for a mainstream call-out, though it’s nonetheless an excellent day in geekdom to hear news about a “Nighthawk” feature from a Hollywood trade paper…

…“Before the writers are even allowed to come in and meet, they must sign a non-disclosure agreement and a 70-page, non-negotiable contract,” reports DHD’s Nikki Finke. “Among other things, the contract gives Marvel ownership over everything the writers create during the one year term of [the] deal, plus a first look and last refusal to any and all projects the writers have previously written or will write for 24 months in the future.”

No doubt a hefty price, but for the right comic book minded scrivener, it could be well worth the cost. Just imagine a Brian K. Vaughan-penned adaptation of “Doctor Strange: The Oath” as part of this new directive. The possibilities are endless!…